Mario Point Of Views
by SSBFreak
Summary: A group of mini-fics, each focusing on a different character in the Mario series. What does everyone have to say?
1. My Shadow

Title: My Shadow  
  
Character: Mario  
  
Description: Mario reflects on his past and his role as the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, then the role his brother Luigi has  
  
(MARIO'S POV)  
  
Well, here I am. Out for my late-night stroll again. I'm usually like this once every few months, where I can't sleep for three weeks. The cause of this is that I'm always thinking of how my brother and I are treated around here.  
  
Princess Peach had just been rescued again. The citizens of the kingdom were celebrating until around three in the morning.  
  
I lean against the wooden railing of my house as a sigh escapes my lips. I look into the night sky as I recall everything that's happened over the years.  
  
Luigi and I lived normal lives as plumbers until we came across the warp pipe leading here. We grew up without parents, and I promised myself that I would look out for Luigi and make sure that he lived life well and didn't do anything he would regret. Because of this promise I made myself, I was always the leader of the plumbing business, showing Luigi what to do.  
  
A few years passed. Luigi had gotten the hang of the plumbing business, allowing me to relax once in a while. I consider myself lucky that Luigi finally learned how to do everything at that point, because not long after, I had heard that a giant ape had grabbed my friend Pauline and taken her to the top of a nearby construction site.  
  
Despite what some people think, I was never in love with Pauline. She and I were just friends. In fact, a couple years after the whole Donkey Kong incident, she married my cousin, Stanley the Bugman.  
  
Anyway, Luigi and I ended up getting a call from a high-pitched voice on the other end of the phone. The voice said that he had a severe leak in his basement and was counting on Luigi and I to fix it. Not being ones to turn down a job, Luigi and I quickly set off to help the poor man.  
  
When we finally met our client, we saw that he was incredibly short and that he was wearing a huge hat on his head. He led the two of us down to his basement and showed us a huge pipe sticking out of the ground. Before we could question what the pipe was, we were both pushed into the pipe, then our client jumped in after us. I blacked out before I hit the bottom of the pipe.  
  
When I awakened, I saw that I was in a place unlike anything had ever seen before. I saw our client pull the hat off his head, revealing a white mushroom head with red polka-dots. The strange creature introduced himself as Toad, retainer to Princess Peach Toadstool.  
  
At first, I wasn't quite fond of Toad, because of his way of getting Luigi and I into the mushroom kingdom in the first place. But a few years later, when I had gotten used to the kingdom, I realized that Luigi and I owed a lot to Toad, because he was the one to bring us here in the first place. We still do.  
  
Luigi and I agreed to rescue the princess and restore peace to the kingdom and set off instantly. We ended up saving Peach, and we were praised as heroes to the kingdom.  
  
For the first while, I loved being treated like a hero. Peach and I even started dating. However, realization quickly sunk in. Luigi wasn't getting half of the attention I was. That was clearly not fair. Throughout all of our adventures, Luigi got us out of more jams and received more pain, yet I was the one getting all of the attention because I was the one to actually defeat Bowser. I quickly realized that Luigi was far more deserving of the title of 'hero' than I.  
  
The next adventures came along. Rather than fight alongside me, Luigi would often trail behind, like my shadow. And whenever I was receiving praise as a hero, Luigi would remain silent, not allowing himself to take any credit. When he wasn't trailing behind me and letting me get the credit, he didn't even go on the adventure at all. Right then, I realized that he was trying to give me more credit than I deserved.  
  
All these years I had promised myself that I would take care of Luigi, and yet HE'S the one helping ME by allowing the kingdom's inhabitants to see me as a hero.  
  
I wanted to change that. I wanted Luigi to get credit and be recognized as a hero again. Well, first things first. A tennis tournament came up, and Peach had asked me to enter the doubles competition with her. As quickly as I could, I sent out an invitation to the neighboring kingdom of Sarasaland, addressed to Princess Daisy, Peach's cousin and a princess I had met during my travels while Bowser had gone on vacation. When Daisy arrived, it was love at first sight for Luigi. The two of them entered the doubles competition together. I thought that Luigi's life was off to a great start.  
  
But I was in for a surprise.  
  
Wario showed up as a late entry with his brother, Waluigi. It seemed that Waluigi hated Luigi with a passion and wanted to humiliate him, much like Wario had always wanted to humiliate me. At first, I thought that Luigi would be upset that someone hated him, but I was again surprised. Luigi chuckled and told me that he was pleased to have a rival like I did. Luigi and Daisy smoked the competition, beating Peach and I in the finals. Although upset that we lost, we congratulated the winners.  
  
Despite all of this, Luigi still wasn't getting that much attention. The only ones really paying attention to him were Waluigi, who wanted to pound him into the floor, and Daisy, who had started dating with him.  
  
Then, on day, Luigi rushed into the house, holding a piece of paper and a map. Letting out a holler of joy, he told me that he had just won a mansion in a contest that he didn't even remember entering. Although I was pleased that he had won something like that, I thought that the whole thing sounded suspicious. After Luigi gave me the directions, I told him that I would go ahead and meet him there.  
  
When I arrived at the mansion, I saw that it was definitely nothing like it had been described in Luigi's pamphlet. I entered the mansion cautiously, but I wish I hadn't. I saw that it was a trap. From HIM...  
  
King Boo. I had defeated him at the Donut Plains Secret Ghost House as Luigi and I were on our way to defeat Morton Koopa Jr. He was clearly out for revenge, and he brought a whole horde of Boos. While I managed to defeat a few of them, the remaining Boos surrounded me and knocked me out.  
  
When I awoke, I was in for a shock: I was trapped inside a painting, King Boo standing on the outside, laughing at my gullibility. Luckily, I soon saw Luigi's face sticking out of a statue on the wall leading to the well. I knew that he was alright, and had not been captured yet. The only thing I could do was wait for Luigi to show up.  
  
Luckily, I didn't have to wait long. Luigi showed up within a few hours later and confronted King Boo. Luigi battled King Boo and a giant, robotic duplicate of Bowser all by himself, yet he pulled out on top without even breaking a sweat! I knew that he'd be getting the respect he deserved for this.  
  
A smile finds its way to my face as I think of Luigi. He no longer lives with me. He has a real mansion now, and is always taking in orphaned children to live with him. Currently living with him are Prof. E Gadd, two young Shyguys, five mushroom children and three orphans from Moleville. He's even got a baby orphan from Nimbus Land living with him.  
  
I sigh as I turn around and start walking back into the house to go back to bed. Luigi has a mansion, a great girlfriend, a rival like mine, and the respect of the entire mushroom kingdom. Is he still following behind me like my shadow?  
  
No way.  
  
END  
  
Author's notes: This marks the start of a series of POV's of different Mario characters. Over the time, I'll be focusing on the more popular characters like Luigi, Daisy and Geno, but also the lesser-known characters like Jr. Troopa, Petey Piranha and Fice T. Plus, I'm always open to suggestions for other characters you want me to do, just as long as it's a Mario character (Donkey Kong doesn't count).  
  
Please read and review! 


	2. Stronger

Title: Stronger

Character: Jr. Troopa

Description: Before setting off to find Mario again, Jr. Troopa recovers while drowning himself in his past

(JR. TROOPA'S POV)

I wince in pain as I hold the bandage over my bleeding shoulder. Boy, that Paratroopa can sure hit hard.

After doing battle with that dumb plumber MARIO in Forever Forest, I hurried back here, my playground, to recover. I was in so much pain when I lost, but I wanted to make sure that no one realized that it hurt so much. I'm not giving up, though. That Mario has humiliated me three times already and I have absolutely no intention on making it four.

I suddenly hear a loud boom coming from overhead. Looking up, I see that it's starting to rain. I sigh. Great, this isn't going to help my shoulder all that much.

I lean against the tree and close my eyes, still holding onto my bleeding shoulder, and think to myself. Man, why do I even bother with Mario? He's already beaten me three times. I've heard so many things about him, that I'm actually scared about going off to challenge him again. No matter how good I get at fighting, he'll still beat me.

I sigh. Let's just face it; I'm weak. I always have been. Man, my dad was right. I'm more bark than bite.

My eyes suddenly widen, then I groan. I'm thinking about my dad again. I don't know why. I've been trying to forget about him for a long time now.

I'm the youngest out of three boys, and I also have a baby sister on the way. When she's born, I'll have to tell her how lucky she is. She never had to live with HIM...

My father is the most heartless man I've ever met. Yeah, even Bowser's better than him. Why? Bowser actually CARES for his kids. My dad was never like that. No matter how hard I tried to make him proud, I always came up short, failing to impress him. Every time I didn't do something the way he wanted, he yelled at me, calling me a weak disgrace. I guess that's where I got my bully tendencies from.

Both of my older brothers were standing up to him, telling him to lay off on me because I was so young. Then dad turned on them, yelling at them for being just as weak. I knew that wasn't true, even back then. Anyone that could stand up to someone as mean as that and not get scared is definitely not weak.

At first, I thought that he was just mad because of something bad happening at work, and that he'd eventually apologize and everything would get better. But this kept happening day after day, week after week. Every time my dad insulted me, my brothers were always comforting. Both of them are big and tough, but no matter how tough they get, at least they always love my mother and I.

I sigh again as a lone tear runs down my face. I know that it's safe to cry now, because there's no one around and my dad always said that crying made you weak.

As the weeks went by, my dad still never showed any signs of compassion to me OR my brothers. At first, I thought that it couldn't get any worse.

But then he started yelling at mom.

I overheard everything when I was supposed to be asleep. My dad was screaming at mom for raising such weak kids, and saying that everything was her fault. Again, I knew that this wasn't true. My mother spent all of her time raising all thee of us properly. She loves us. Which is more than I can say for my dad.

The first time it happened, my mom let it slide. But then it happened again. And again. And again. It happened again and again for weeks. Finally, my mom had enough.

While dad was sleeping, mom woke my brothers and I up and told us to pack. We did as we were told, and we left the house, leaving dad sleeping on the couch, oblivious to what we were doing.

By the time dad would wake up and realize we were gone, we would've already boarded the train bound for Toad Town.

The years passed by. We live in a house close to Toad Town now, and everyone's doing fine. Both of my brothers play football now, and are still more than willing to comfort mom in her time of need. One look at them and I realize that I want to be just like my brothers when I get older.

Strong.

Sometimes, I regret my choice of being somewhat of a bully. It's just that my father made me so angry, that I end up taking my anger out on others. Luckily, I'm only considered a bully to two people, or rather, Goombas: Goombario and his little sister Goombaria.

I suddenly feel a twinge of guilt as I remember the first time I met them. I was just moping around, angry at my father as usual, when the Goomba siblings entered the playground. I snapped at them, telling them to back off. This made the two kids, who were both younger than I, curious and they asked me what was wrong. I snapped again, saying that it was none of their business. But the Goombas asked all the more.

By now, I had had it. I leapt up and chased the two of them out of the playground. On the way out, Goombaria tripped and scraped her face, but she got back up and ran off after her brother, crying. Boy, I sure hope she wasn't hurt bad.

It wasn't long after that when I saw a man in red enter the playground, searching through the bushes. Being angry again, I decided to chase him off as well. By the time I arrived, he had found a hammer in one of the bushes.

I battled the man, Mario, hoping that I would unleash all my anger and make amends with the Goomba siblings. However, he trampled me with the hammer. Afterwards the man walked off, leaving me furious at losing to such a jerk. How could he just beat up a kid like me? I realized that I wouldn't rest until I avenged myself and beat Mario in a fight.

My eyes snap open, then narrow. By now, it's stopped raining and my shoulder has stopped bleeding. I stand up and stare off at the exit of the playground. I clench my teeth and ball my fists.

My father always said that I was weak. But I am determined to prove him wrong. I want to prove that I'm strong; stronger than he'll EVER be. My brothers are strong, and I want to be just like them. And there's only ONE thing that I can do to prove myself that I'm strong.

Without thinking of the consequences, I charge off, out of the playground.

I MUST defeat Mario!

END

Author's notes: Thanks for the suggestions. I already thinking of some settings for the King Boo and Mallow POV's. Please read and review!


	3. Watching

Title: Watching

Character: Geno

Description: While watching over a certain boy, Geno, in his star form, reflects on how his life changed.

(GENO'S POV)

Here I am, floating high above the Mushroom Kingdom, hanging directly above Rose Town. My very keen eyes are focusing on a certain house, the one that I've been keeping my eyes on since IT happened.

This is the home of Gaz, the owner of the doll I took the form of when I enlisted Mario's help in defeating Smithy. Since IT happened, I've been hanging around here, keeping watch over Gaz.

What? Excuse me? You want to know what 'IT' is? Well, it's a long story. Allow me to explain.

After Mario and the others helped me rebuild Star Road, I left the doll and flew back into the sky to protect Star Road yet again. There, I continued to assist in granting wishes. Because Bowser's wishes were so selfish, I never paid any attention to them. I later found out that that was a bad idea, but I'll get to that later.

Not a lot of people know this, but I used to be a Mushroom Kingdom citizen myself. Yes, I looked just as normal as the rest of the kingdom at one point. I was even the captain of King Toadstool's army. I led the troops into battle without any fear of dying.

Of course, that was until about one hundred years before Mario and Luigi showed up at the kingdom. Wounded from battle, I was struggling to get to Moleville to get help, but had to pass through Star Hill to get there. It was such a grueling task just to get to the other side of Star Hill, that I didn't even make it. At the very top of Star Hill, all my strength was depleted and I collapsed, coincidentally under a glowing light shining from the clouds.

Before blacking out, I could only muster the strength to wish that I could have helped everyone more.

Well, my wish was granted.

When I woke up, I realized that I was no longer on Star Hill, but floating high above the clouds, in the tiny form of a star. I demanded to know what the meaning of it all was, and I was quickly answered. Another star, this one much bigger than I, told me that my wish had been granted, because I was offered my destined job as protector of Star Road, granting everyone's wishes. Realizing that it would be a dream come true, I accepted, because my family in the Kingdom would know that I was dead anyway.

I eventually found out that I could find out what futures the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom would have. Those that were absolutely essential for a better future, I kept a close eye on. For example, I save an oblivious King Toadstool from being assassinated because I knew that his descendant, Peach Toadstool, would become the leader of the Mushroom Kingdom, eventually bringing them to victory against the Koopas.

The years turned into decades. My family and all of my friends had all died, and I was still the protector of Star Road. I had been granting wishes for almost a hundred years, and had grown to like the job. Any selfish wishes, most of which were from Bowser, I never granted, although I HAVE seen a good amount of good wishes come from the king of Koopas. For example, he had wished that he could have a family. I had it granted, and now Bowser has become a father to seven kids. Although he doesn't show it most of the time, I can tell that he loves his kids as much as any father out there.

Another few months passed and I things were going so peacefully. People were living in happiness, and I have been protecting people with an essential future for a good while now. Of course, as if you'd expect something bad to happen, Smithy and his gang invaded, breaking Star Road.

Realizing that I needed to take a physical form if I wanted to find the seven star pieces, I ended up in the home of Gaz and his mother, and found the doll of Geno. I chose that doll and made it come to life. For the first time in a hundred years, I could walk again. At first, I found it difficult to walk, but I quickly got the hang of it again and started my search. Mario quickly found me and the rest of history.

Eventually, the Star Road was complete again, meaning I had to go back to protecting it. Leaving the doll behind, I flew back into the clouds, where Star Road was beginning to brighten up again. I resumed my job and started granting wishes again.

As the years continued on, I got several wishes from a few of my friends, and although I granted them, I found a few of them to be a little odd. Like how Peach wished that Bowser wasn't so evil so there could be a better chance of a peace treaty. This is why Bowser was more...Uh...Boneheaded during the Star Rod and BeanBean adventures. And don't get me started on how surprised I was when I saw how big of a bonehead Bowser had become during Mario's third 'party'. And to think he was the big brute that had helped me rebuild Star Road.

Finally, I'm about to come to what exactly 'IT' is. It all happened just before the whole 'Star Rod' incident. I had decided that it was too hectic for me to grant people's wishes and protect people at the same time, so I took the seven star pieces of Star Road and brought them all to life, turning them into the Seven Star Spirits. I gave them the job of protecting Star Road, and they promised that they would do so. Therefore, while they were protecting Star Road and granting everyone's wishes, I could be off protecting more people from harm.

This is what brings me here. Why am I keeping an eye on Gaz, you may ask? The answer may surprise you. Looking into his family tree, I came upon a startling discovery. My wife and kids were on the family tree!

Gaz is my descendant.

I then looked into Gaz's future, trying to find out what happens to him if everything goes right. When I found out Gaz's future, I realized that I had to make absolute certain that nothing happened to him.

While I still protect others, most of my time is spent on protecting Gaz. Already, I have saved him five times in which cases he might've died, and I am pleased that I am doing my part in helping him. My wish was to help others, and that's what I'm doing.

I occasionally look into seeing what all of my travel companions are up to, and it's usually the same thing. Mario being the well-loved hero, protecting the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach ruling the kingdom and proving her worth in battles, Bowser kidnapping her, and Mallow living his happy life as a prince.

And so ends this chapter in my long, long life. While I may not protect Star Road as often anymore, I'm honored that I'm the one protecting Gaz.

After all, he IS destined to save his future wife's life, father five great kids and become the next hero of the Mushroom Kingdom.

END


	4. Bullied

Title: Bullied

Character: Fice T

Description: While standing guard, Fice T recalls everything that happened to him, and even contemplates leaving his post.

(FICE T'S POV)

Here I stand. Guarding the entrance to Forever Forest, making sure that no one goes in. But while I'm sure everyone knows this, the main reason I stand guard is to overcome my fear of ghosts.

The only one I ever let through here was Mario, who had recently gone into Forever Forest to search for one of the Star Spirits. Boy, I sure wish I had his courage. I'm probably the most pitiful excuse for a guard around. I'd bet that even those pointless guards at the princess' castle that don't seem to do anything are braver than I.

I often wonder why the hey I applied for this stupid job in the first place. I mean, all I do is stand guard at Forever Forest and become scared whenever I see a ghost. When that ghost with the mustache showed up and scared the heck out me, I was tempted to run back home, but decided against it. Besides, my legs were too scared stiff to budge.

Still, April always said that the best way to overcome your fears is to face them.

I slap my forehead and sigh sadly. I'm thinking of April again. Who is she, you may ask? She's the most beautiful woman in the Mushroom Kingdom, and my wonderful wife. Now, people may saw that Princess Peach is the most beautiful, but in my eyes, April was even prettier than the princess herself.

I grew up in a small family with one sibling, an older brother. My brother wasn't really that good an influence on me. He loved scaring me with ghost stories, and they just got worse whenever we sat around a campfire.

School was even worse once the bullies found out of my fear of ghosts. They teased me all day, every day, but I took it all. The last thing I wanted to do was cry. That would just influence the bullies to do it all the more. There was, however, one thing I liked about school: The head bullies' so-called 'girlfriend', April, had a desk right beside mine in class. She was the only one who really showed any compassion. While it was just the bullies that made fun of me, the other students ignored it and the teachers brushed me off, telling me to ignore them. Didn't they ever realize that that's what I had been doing for half the school year already?!

Then one day, my life would take a drastic turn. While the bullies were off playing football with the rest of the team, April had to go home because she was expecting a friend to come over. I offered to walk her home, and she accepted.

During the walk to her place, the two of us talked almost the entire time. I realized how much we had in common: We had the same interests, we shared the same birthday, and she even admitted that she had a fear of ghosts as well! Mind you, it wasn't as big as my fear, but still...

I then found out that April was never the lead bully's girlfriend. He apparently had just started acting as if she were his girlfriend, trying to sweet-talk her and all.

I almost regretted walking her home the next day.

...Almost...

After class, I was walking to my locker to grab my jacket, when the lead bully came up from behind me and shoved me against the lockers. He shouted at me and kicked me repeatedly, telling me to stay away from April, saying that she was HIS girl. Apparently, he had found out that I had walked her home the day before.

I tried to get up, ignoring the pain coming from my side. However, he wasn't finished yet. Pulling his fist back, he slammed it into my face, giving me a black eye. He quickly gave me another one to match it. Soon, I had bruises all over my body.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, it suddenly got better. April ran in between the two of us and shielded me from harm! The bully told her to step aside, but April stood her ground. Right there, in front of all the students, April screamed at him, saying that not only was she never his girlfriend, but that she hated the way that he always pretended that she was. I can still remember the hurt look on the bully's face when she said that, and I smile whenever I think of it. April showed no compassion, however, and told him that she actually preferred ME over him.

I couldn't believe what I had heard. April had actually admitted that she LIKED me? Despite the condition I was in, this was a dream come true for me! Anyway, the principal found out about what the bully had done and had him thrown off the football team.

As the year went by, April and I hung around each other more. I walked her home every day, even though I lived five blocks away. To talk with April, I was willing to walk to the other end of the KINGDOM.

The months turned into years. April and I graduated the same day, and we both considered it a day to remember. She and I had been dating for a good while now. I realized how much I loved her, and that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

Eventually, I finally decided to ask her. On the eve of our twenty-first birthdays, I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. At first, I was terrified that she would refuse, but when she threw her arms around me and started sobbing happily into my shoulder, I realized that she had accepted!

A few more years passed. April and I had been married for two years. The best two years of my life. It was a crystal clear night and we had decided to take a walk around our area of the kingdom as almost like another date.

I soon decided that we shouldn't have gone out in the first place.

The air around us suddenly became cold, even though it was a summer night. The two of us quickly became engulfed in a strange fog. When it cleared, April and I found ourselves staring at the one Boo I had heard so much about in my brother's stories and I had hoped I would never meet.

King Boo.

The evil Boo took one look at April and started floating towards her. Although terrified, I stoo in front of my wife and told King Boo that if he wanted her, he'd have to get through me first.

That was exactly what he did. With one swipe of his 'hand', I was sent flying away several feet, landing on my side. King Boo grabbed April and vanished, taking her with him.

I found myself searching all over Toad Town, looking for a Boo that could tell me where King Boo had taken April. I eventually found one, and demanded that it confess. It quickly complied. I was told that King Boo lived in an abandoned mansion in Forever Forest. One that almost no one knew about.

Eventually, I found myself at the front door of King Boo's mansion. Although terrified, I swore to myself that I'd get April out of there. I placed a trembling hand on the doorknob, twisted it and went inside.

After searching around the mansion, I eventually found myself in the basement, where King Boo kept his collection of paintings. However, on closer inspection, I realized that they weren't painting. There were people in there! Trapped inside the paintings, trying to break out by banging on the shield keeping them in. I wanted to help these people. I really did. But saving April was first on my list.

Unfortunately, I found April like I had the others: Trapped inside a painting. I looked at her in horror, and she stopped struggling to look at me with hope. I couldn't stand it to see April in peril.

I was just about to pluck her from the wall when I heard a cackle from behind. Before I could turn around, everything had gone dark.

When I woke up, I found myself back in Toad Town, unharmed. Unfortunately, April wasn't with me. She was still inside the mansion, trapped in the painting.

Now, before any questions are asked, King Boo's mansion isn't like the mansion Luigi had 'won'. This mansion was entirely different, and twice as scary. I realized that if I was to get back in there and save April, I was to overcome my fear of Boos.

Without thinking of the consequences, I applied for the job as a guard, and it just so happens that I was to guard the entrance to Forever Forest.

That was five months ago. I'm kicking myself for not trying to save April sooner, but I know that if I don't go in unprepared, I'll probably end up being killed, leaving April to spend the rest of her life inside the painting. I was lucky that King Boo spared me and returned me to Toad Town the first time. Next time he won't be so merciful.

I find myself crying again. I've cried every day for the past five months now, upset at myself for not saving April. The only thing I can do is stand guard and wait for me to overcome my fears.

I promise I'll save you, April. Believe me, I promise. But I need you to wait just a little while longer. Sometimes, when I think of everything you could possibly be going through, my heart becomes crushed even more than it already is. That makes me wonder who's going through more torture.

You or me.

END


	5. Father's Love

Title: Father's Love

Character: Bowser

Description: Watching over his sleeping children, Bowser drowns himself in his thoughts.

(BOWSER'S POV)

I sigh as I pull the bedsheets over the sleeping figure that is my son Larry. I watch as he smiles innocently and pulls his stuffed Goomba closer.

As quietly as I can, I sneak out of Larry's room and gently close the door behind me. Larry wasn't the last of my kinds to tuck in, however. I quickly and quietly tiptoe down the hall and over to the room Iggy shares with Lemmy. Every night for years now, I've been doing this.

Although I may not show it all of the time, I care for my kids. All eight of them. When I'm out of the castle on those golf or tennis tournaments, my oldest son Ludwig is always looking after the others. I respect his ability to do so, although Roy is usually pounding on Iggy or Morton.

Still, even though Roy is a bully, Wendy is spoiled, Iggy is slightly crazy and Morton doesn't know how to shut up, my kids mean the world to me.

Why am I so compassionate to them? Let me explain.

For years, I had been married to a beautiful Koopa woman who loved me for who I was. You see, I was never exactly popular in school. The class picked on me, the teacher yelled at me and the principal hated me. Even the custodian vacuumed up my lunch. I still haven't forgiven him for that.

My future wife was the only one that showed me compassion. Maybe it was how I never let any of the insults get to me. I took them like a man, just like my father, Morton Koopa Sr., had wanted. He was always so proud of me.

Eventually, my wife and I got married and lived happily together. That is, until my father passed away. I, being his favourite son, had inherited the throne, and my wife had become queen. My two older brothers didn't exactly take it well. They vowed revenge and ran away from the kingdom.

The years went by, and I had grown accustomed to being king. My wife was looking more beautiful than ever and loved me all the more. I had always wanted to be a good king, to make my father proud. I wanted to make sure that I treated my kingdom, Dark Land, with loving care and treat all of the subjects with respect. Everyone in Dark Land loved me as the ruler. If he had still been alive, my father would've been proud of me. I often wonder how my brothers would have treated the kingdom if either of them became king instead of me...

After years of ruling the kingdom like a real would, I thought my life wouldn't get any better.

It did once Ludwig was born.

My first child. I felt like the luckiest Koopa in the world. I actually had an heir to the kingdom, and as he grew, I wanted to make sure that he treated the kingdom with respect if he ever became king.

As the years went by, my wife gave birth to six more children. Seven kids. What a lucky number. I treated all of my kids the way my father had treated my brothers and I: With loving care. Sure, Roy didn't get along with some of the others, and Wendy had grown into a spoiled kid, but I loved them all.

At an early age, Ludwig had studied mechanics and soon became so good that I made him my official inventor. On a side note, he also played the violin like lightning and had composed enough songs to fill three CD's by now.

Larry, my youngest child at the time, showed an interest in plants at an amazingly early age. He always loved my wife's garden and liked playing with the Piranha Plants. He didn't just have a green thumb. He had become such a plant expert that you might say his whole HAND was green.

Morton still amazes and confuses me. He confuses me because he learned to talk on his own, thanks to a couple hours alone in his room. He had spent the entire time talking to himself, and now likes to talk. A LOT. His speeches are always long and breathless, and often put the other kids to sleep if they don't make him stop talking. Morton knows more words than any of the others, though, and is well on his way to becoming a great writer.

I had a happy family, and my wife was expecting an eighth child any day now. Now I knew my life couldn't get any better.

Sadly, I was right. It got worse.

My second-oldest brother was still alive. My oldest brother had died of a massive heart attack and my other brother was still out for revenge. Only a few short days after my wife gave birth to my final child, Bowser Jr., my brother sneaked into the castle, found my wife and I and leapt at us, claws ready to slash us to death. His focus was directly at me.

That was, until my wife protected me from harm, taking the slashes herself. Before she hit the ground, she was already dead. Out of pure rage, I killed my brother on the spot. It was a good thing that he was dead, but if only I had spotted him sooner. That way, I could've protected myself and prevented my wife from sacrificing herself.

The years felt like decades for me. Soon, all of my kids had become like young rulers of the kingdom. However, one thing was still missing from their lives.

A mother.

Only three of my kids are old enough to remember their mother. The others were too young when she died to know what she looked like. I knew that they needed a mother.

Then, I saw Princess Peach Toadstool for the first time.

She was beautiful. The most beautiful human I had ever seen. I always wanted my kids to have a good mother, and I knew right away that Peach was the best I could ask for.

However, I knew that she wouldn't willing want to become my bride, so I did the only thing I could think of, the thing I am now famous for.

I kidnapped her. Sure, she kicked and screamed a lot, but if I could get her to marry me and become the mother to my kids, I figured that it would be worth it.

Unfortunately for me, a couple of plumbers broke into my castle, stormed it, gave me a lava bath and ran off with Peach.

Now, I knew that Peach didn't like me. Heck, she probably hated me for kidnapping her, but I wasn't one to give up.

I trained my kids to fight. I wanted to stall the Marios, the two plumbers, long enough for me to kidnap Peach again and get her to marry me. While each of my kids took over a specific kingdom, I had worked my way to Peach's castle. By the time the two plumbers had defeated Lemmy in Ice Land, I had already made off with Peach.

I thought the two plumbers didn't stand a chance. Boy, was I wrong. The two plumbers trounced me again and saved the princess.

Well, the years went by and I was still single. I still hadn't given up, though. I had already kidnapped Peach five times and tried to get her to marry me, but I had failed not only myself, but my kids as well.

Well, I eventually decided to bring out the big guns. I had heard that Mario and Peach had gone to take a vacation. Perfect. I had told my youngest son, Junior, that Peach was really his mother. Hey, if my plan worked, she WOULD be, so I wasn't exactly lying. I gave my son a gift, a magic paintbrush, and told him to go terrorize the island and blame Mario.

Unfortunately, while my plan had worked for a while, Mario defeated me again, this time equipped with a strange water nozzle.

Well, that's my life story. Now, all this time, you might be thinking that the reason I want to marry Peach is to become the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. That's not true. I could really care less about that kingdom. The food there tastes horrible, anyway.

No, the reason I want to marry Peach is so that my kids will finally have a mother again. Peach is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. My kids deserve no less. They deserve a mother that will look after them and comfort them when they're in need. That's why I'm so compassionate for my kids.

They're all I have left.

I have cared for my kids for years. One time, Iggy fell down the stairs and broke his ankle. I spent several weeks helping him recover. Or another time, Wendy and Larry had wandered too far from the castle and got kidnapped by a bunch of Shyguys. I spent day and night looking for them without rest, all by myself, for three days before I finally found them.

See? I'm just a normal father who wants his kids to have a mother. I don't want another kingdom. I'm perfectly happy with Dark Land.

I sigh as I tuck Iggy and Lemmy into bed and sneak out of the room. Once I get back out into the hallway, I tiptoe down the hallway, working my way out of the hallway so I don't disturb them.

My kids may need to wait longer, but I promised myself that they'd have a mother, and I'm not one to back down on my promises.

Especially when they're the ones I love.

END

Author's notes: Heh. Betcha never looked at Bowser from that angle, eh?


	6. Machine

Title: Machine

Character: Bowyer

Description: Hiding in solitude years after Mario RPG, Bowyer does serious thinking.

(BOWYER'S POV)

I toss another flat stone at the lake, making it skip a couple of times before it finally sinks. I sigh as I plop myself down, letting my left foot swing back and forth just above the water's surface.

Now, I know you're all asking about my 'Yoda-ish' talk and where it is right now. Hey, just because I talk like that, doesn't mean I think or write that way.

For years now, this one question has been bugging me. For as long as I can remember, this question's been at the back of my head, and I can't seem to figure out the answer, now matter how long or hard I think. Although I can't say the same for my former cohorts like Mack and Yaridovich, This question's puzzled me for years.

Was I ever born?

The first thing I remember is stepping out of a chamber of some sorts, standing in front of my former master, Smithy. He said that I was Bowyer, and that my job was to do whatever he said. Without thinking of what was to come, I agreed, thinking that there was no way I could lose if Smithy backed me up.

Apparently, I was the second of Smithy's minions to be created. Until the third showed up, my only friend was Mack. Sure, he was all rough and tough, but we got along. Yaridovich came next, followed shortly by all five of the Axem Rangers. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by workers for Smithy. The Manager, walking hammers, hopping Shyguys, the Factory Chief, you name it, we had it. The Factory Chief even created a huge machine called the 'Gunyolk'. It may not have looked fearsome on the outside, but when it showed off the Breaker Beam, I had second thoughts.

Smithy, thinking his army was indestructible, ordered an invasion on the Mushroom Kingdom, which happened to be the home of a fat plumber named Mario. At the time, me had no idea who he was and continued the invasion.

Finally, after months of training, I received my first mission. I was to stake out in the Forest Maze and bombard Rose Town with my band of flunkies. I agreed and set off.

I soon found a lot of entertainment in firing arrows at the town, and I'm not afraid to say it: I actually had fun doing it. Suddenly, when I least expected it, one of my flunkies showed up with a green star. Thinking that it was useless, I shrugged it off. Just as I was about to continue firing more arrows, a wooden man dressed in a blue cape showed up and stopped me. Joining him soon after was Mario and a puffy cloud boy named Mallow.

If any of you have heard about it, I shouldn't need to tell you how the fight ended.

Mario and the others had defeated me. I lay on the ground, defeated, as Mario took off with the star. Although I was ashamed of myself that I could be defeated so easily, I was also confused. Why hadn't I exploded? I had heard that Mario had defeated Mack, resulting in the giant knife's destruction. Why hadn't the same happened to me?

Wasn't I ALSO a machine?

As I slowly sat up, I gripped my wounded arm...Wait. My WOUNDED arm? I thought that machines weren't supposed to GET wounds. I was now severely confused. I decided that this would be a perfect opportunity to get away from Smithy, as I was probably considered dead by now. Needing more time to think of this strange happening, I headed off to Rose Way.

When I got to Rose Way, I quickly found a spot that was inaccessible from the pathways and decided to camp there. I still live here at Rose Way to this day.

I sigh as I look back at my run-down shack of a home. I had literally built that small house by myself and with absolutely no idea what I was doing. Well, I'm satisfied with it, mainly because it's just me living here.

Without standing up, I skip another perfectly flat stone across the water, this time making it skip halfway across the lake. I had lived here so long that I had perfected the art of stone-skipping long ago.

After I had finished work on my house, I had heard from a couple of fishermen that Mario had recovered five stars, which were apparently pieces of Star Road, and had currently jumped into a volcano to recover the sixth. Although I didn't know what to think, I found myself wanting to help the guy in some way. I got up and rushed off to Bowser's Keep, where Exor had planted himself.

To make a long story short, I took a shortcut and ended up at Bowser's Keep. When I reached Exor, he said that everyone thought I was dead, and sounded surprised when he said it. He granted me permission to go to the factory.

Once inside the factory, I wanted to make sure that I took out the strongest of Smithy'd defenses so Mario would have no problem getting through. I sneaked through the factory, hoping to come across something soon.

On the way, I received the shock of my life. Machine-made duplicates of Mack, Yaridovich, the Axem Rangers and myself were being created left and right. I found myself looking at my hand. Maybe I was a machine after all. But then again, maybe these robotic duplicates are merely clones of me. I'm still trying to figure that out to this day.

I eventually found my target. A huge, robotic dragon. This was Smithy's proudest creation, and had only one weakness that none of Mario's friends had.

Its weakness was arrows.

I ambushed the creature and destroyed it. By the time it was gone for good, Mario had penetrated the factory. When Smithy realized that the dragon had been destroyed, he was forced to do a last-minute swap, sending Cloaker and Domino, the two newest creations, to stop Mario instead.

As Mario and the others mopped the floor with the dynamic duo, I had managed to sneak away unnoticed. I eventually found my way to the portal and jumped in, going back to the Mushroom Kingdom. I was back at my new home before supper.

I adapted to life in the Mushroom Kingdom. I ate and slept just like everyone else, even though I'm still confused. I was always under the impression that machines weren't supposed to get hungry or tired. Although I had to disguise myself, I earned an honest living as a badge salesman.

Years passed. Although my job got me money, it was still barely enough to help me survive. I traveled to Rougeport, a distant town, in hopes of finding people willing to buy my badges. Even there I wasn't terribly popular, as there was already a badge shop in town.

But imagine whom I ran into.

Mario. The same mustached, red-clad, portly plumber that had defeated me years ago had showed up at Rougeport, on another adventure. I offered him a look at my goods, using my fake voice so that he wouldn't put two and two together. He found a badge that he actually thought was useful and paid for it. I thanked him and said that he was welcome to come back and shop from me again anytime he liked.

Although I was tempted to ask him if I could help him on the adventure, I decided against it, knowing that if Mario found out who I really was, he'd pound me into the floor without giving me a chance to react.

Well, that's pretty much my life story. I spend many nights outside of my house, skipping stones across the lake. I'm often baffled at what I really am. Am I just like the others? A machine, but one that Smithy actually gave feelings like hunger to? Or am I a living being, kidnapped from my home and brainwashed to make me think I was 'created' to serve Smithy? This I may never know, as the earliest thing I can remember is stepping out of that capsule years ago. I may have been created, but I may also have been brainwashed.

I look up into the night sky with hope. Maybe there's a village of people like me actually out there somewhere. Maybe I AM a living being, brainwashed for evil purposes. Maybe sometime I'll actually venture out into other kingdoms and see if I can find anything.

Because I am more confident that I am no machine.

END

Author's notes: Sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I've been busy playing Paper Mario 2 (as well as working on my other fic 'Amazing Race: VG Style'). Well, now that I've finished Paper Mario 2, I'm open for suggestions from the game as well.

Currently, I'm trying to come up with POV's for Kamek, Mallow (no, Selphie, I didn't forget about you :)) and even Kolorado.


	7. Fair Fight

(NOTE: If you haven't played Paper Mario 2, this POV contains spoilers to Chapter 3 in PM2)

Title: Fair Fight

Character: Rawk Hawk

Description: Taking a stroll around Glitzville, Rawk Hawk thinks about how a simple fight changed his view on winning.

(RAWK HAWK'S POV)

Night. The perfect time to take a walk without getting swarmed by screaming fans asking for autographs. Now, don't get me wrong! I LOVE my fans. But right now, I really don't feel like running into any.

Ever since the Great Gonzales...Er...I mean Mario...left Rougeport, the Champ belt had went back up for grabs. Even though I am an amazing fighter, there's still one fighter in the arena that's good enough to call my true rival, but I'll get to that later.

I had grown up practically LIVING in Glitzville. I had visited it so frequently that almost everyone there knew me by name. I was such a fan of the Glitz Pit that I had quickly found out what I wanted to be when I grew up: A fighter good enough to be worthy of the championship.

When I found a gym, the trainer said that I was too young to work out in the gym because everything there was better suited for guys with experience. I'm ashamed to say it now, but I had to lie about my age to get in and be allowed to work out.

As I grew older, I worked out like there was no tomorrow. I became strong, full of muscles and an excellent fighter. When I became old enough to enter, I set off for Glitzville and applied for the tournament under the alias of 'Rawk Hawk'. The manager, a man named Grubba, sent me to the Minor Leagues to start.

I quickly climbed up the ranks of the tournament, knocking down my opponents like dominos. The current champion, Prince Mush, had even complimented on my skills. I quickly landed a spot in the Major Leagues and started climbing the ladder there as well.

Unfortunately, that was when greed got the better of me.

I had just defeated the Koopinator, the only one standing in my way of Prince Mush. I made a piece of cake and secretly placed something in it so that whoever ate it would instantly become sick. Probably too sick to even compete. I have no idea why I did that now. Maybe it was because I was REALLY wanting the championship title, or maybe it was because I KNEW I didn't stand a fighting chance against Prince Mush and was too scared.

Now, Prince Mush ended up eating the cake, and instantly became sick. He was too sick to show up for the title bout and I was declared champion by default.

At the time, I couldn't believe it. I had actually become champion. I was probably too amazed at myself to feel guilty that I didn't win fairly. Life as a champion was great. Every battle that was thrown at me was nothing to me. I breezed by everything with next to no problems.

And yet, Prince Mush had never battled me. In fact, I hadn't heard from him since I sent him that cake. Grubba had said that he was just as clueless as me. The whole thing was disappointing to me. I was really hoping to battle Prince Mush as champion and see what he could do.

A while afterwards, Grubba got a secretary. Her name was Jolene, and see was a very attractive Mushroom citizen. I quickly saw that she was very mysterious and strangely suspicious. Every time she awarded me my fight money, she left the room, and when I went out after her to find her, she was already gone. It seemed like she could simply vanish into thin air. No matter how hard I looked, I could never find her anywhere. I was wanting to try and solve this mystery myself, but I never had any time because Grubba kept assigning new fights to me.

Soon after, a portly plumber dressed in red showed up and applied for the tournament himself. Grubba entered him as the 'Great Gonzales', but I wasn't stupid. I had heard of this guy. It was Mario, the famed hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. What he was doing in Glitzville was beyond me, but maybe he was here to solve the mystery. Hey, that worked out. Maybe I could find out what happened to Prince Mush.

As time went by, Mario was quickly climbing up the ladder of fights just as quick as me. When he landed in the Major Leagues, I considered him a threat to my title. Again, greed got the better of me. I sent another piece of cake to him. However, he was smart enough not to eat it. Instead, it was Shellshock, the Dark Troopa warrior with a powerful right hook, who got sick.

Now, normally I didn't let fighters get me afraid, but at this point, I was terrified. I had one of the guards send Mario to a deserted Minor League locker room and lock him in. THAT, I had hoped, would be enough to stall Mario and give me the win.

However, I quickly saw that my plan failed. Just before Grubba counted them out, Mario and his partner, a Goomba girl wearing a hardhat, walked into the ring and challenged me.

To make a long story short, they wasted me.

I found myself in the Major League locker room again. At first, I was upset that I had lost, but then I realized that all the fame and attention I was getting had gotten to my head. I had deserved it. I wanted to become a good fighter, and resorted to cheap tactics to achieve my goals. Well, no more! From that point on, I decided to play fair. No more dirty tricks.

I was talking with the recovered Shellshock when Jolene walked in. She grabbed my arm and pulled me aside, out of earshot from the other fighters. Whispering frantically, she told me everything. How Grubba was somehow responsible for Prince Mush's disappearance. Apparently, Jolene was the big sister of Prince Mush and became Grubba's secretary to find stuff out. Prince Mush had apparently found something out and was starting to tell her over the phone what it was, but was cut off before he could get everything out to her. Jolene then went on to explain that Mario had chased Grubba back to the ring and may have needed help. I quickly agreed, thinking that this would be a perfect chance to repent and make up for all the cheap tricks I pulled in the fights.

Jolene and I rushed towards the ring, but several of Grubba's muscled bodyguards had confronted us. They said that Mario was harming Grubba and must be stopped. Cracking my knuckles, I told Jolene to go ahead and find Mario while I prevented the bodyguards from giving Grubba any help.

It was a quick bout, and I had defeated all of the guards. I rushed towards the ring in hopes of helping Mario.

When I arrived at the ring, I quickly saw Mario and his partner, Goombella, standing over Grubba's defeated body with a shiny star in their possession. Jolene stood aside, sobbing and hugging Prince Mush, who looked exactly the same as he did when I first saw him.

Afterwards, Mario went on to save Rougeport, meaning that he didn't need the champ's belt. Jolene became the new manager of the Glitz Pit, taking Grubba's place. Prince Mush, in the meantime, was planning a comeback. Perfect, I thought to myself. Finally, I would get my long awaited fair fight with Prince Mush.

Prince Mush was definitely worthy of becoming the first Glitz Pit champion. He and I climbed back through the ranks at equal speeds and ended up fighting each other in the title bout. However, we ended up in a stalemate. Neither of us came out the winner. The time ended and we had taken equal damage.

Every single time Prince Mush and I confront each other in the ring, we end up tying. Whether it be time-outs or double knock-outs, it seemed that neither of us could beat the other. Sure, in the ring, we were bitter rivals, but out of the ring, we were best of friends.

I smirk as a look into the sky and watch a shooting star soar across the sky. Mario doesn't know this, but we of Glitzville have had many adventures in the past while since he left. You see, Grubba has constantly come back to try and get revenge in different ways. The 'Glitzville Gang', as we call ourselves, have learned to work together on all of these occasions.

One time, Grubba had planted bombs all over the underside of Glitzville. Don't ask how. I'm still not sure myself. The only way we could stop the timer, which was inside a sealed room, was to send Bandy Andy through the vents and send directions on how to stop it.

Another time, Grubba hired a group of mercenaries to take us all out, one at a time. They had managed to temporarily hospitalize Spiky Joe and Sir Swoop, but the trio of Shellshock, Hamma and Cleftor managed to find the weak points and stop them, preventing us all from landing in the hospital.

But the most recent adventure topped them all. Jolene had disappeared and no one had any idea where she went. After a bit of mystery solving, Prince Mush and I found out that Grubba was behind her disappearance. We managed to get her location out of him and the two of us found Jolene before she got hurt.

Well, that's pretty much the whole story. I turn around and walk to the juice bar, preparing to order my usual refreshment. I can't really believe it. If Mario hadn't shown up, we'd still be working for Grubba, Prince Mush never would have been found, and I never would have changed my ways. I guess we all owe a lot to the little guy.

You know that old saying 'It's not whether you win or lose; It's how you play the game'? Well, I follow that rule all the time now.

And I don't think my millions of fans would have it any other way.

END

Author's notes: (sigh) I'm really stuck. I can't seem to think of a good premise for the Mallow POV. I've been trying to come up with a good premise since Fice T's POV, but I'm not going to give up.


	8. Forever Young

Title: Forever Young

Character: Kamek

Description: Sitting alone in his home, Kamek reflects on his long, long life

(KAMEK'S POV)

I sit in my rocking chair, staring out the window of my home in Lil' Fungitown. I watch as the children run around outside, having the time of their lives playing tag. Well, when you get to my age, the simple things in life, like watching children play, entertains you.

Ever since I moved here, the people treated me with respect, which is something I never expected mushroom people to do to a Koopa, especially a Magikoopa.

I should know. I was around when the whole war between the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Empire started.

Now, you're probably thinking that I'd be dead by now if I was around to remember all that. But you'd be surprised. Listen to my life story if you like, but I warn you, it's a long one.

You see, when I was born, the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopas worked in harmony. However, that was such a long time ago that almost no one alive would remember.

Keep in mind that I said 'almost'.

My father, a great Magikoopa, was the founder of a group of Magikoopas called the 'Wizards Six'. Their job was to make sure that no enemies tried to break the remarkable friendship link the Mushroom citizens had with the Koopas. They each had different powers and abiities, and they all used them amazingly to fend off attackers from space or monsters from Sub-Con or even the Beanbean Kingdom.

However, this ended up being their downfall.

The Wizards Six were called to investigate a possible attack from an ancestor of the modern-day alien threat Tatanga. However, the alien lunatic had planned ahead and set up an ambush. Five of the six Wizards were killed, leaving only my father alive. He barely made it back in one piece, but even still, he was severely poisoned.

My father only had enough strength to get back to me and tell me to carry on the tradition of the Wizards Six, gathering up new allies to form the group. After I promised him I would do so, he collapsed, dead at my feet.

Although my heart was torn apart at my fathers death, I wanted to make sure that I kept my promise. As quick as I could, I gathered five of my friends: A Mushroom citizen, a Wiggler, a Shyguy, a Goomba and a Koopa. The six of us trained under the watchful eyes of my father's best friend. Eventually, we became good enough to don different robes, becoming the new 'Wizards Six'.

The six of us went on to defeat this alien invader and save the alliance between the Mushrooms and Koopas, and we were all praised as heroes. We continued on in the footsteps of the original Wizards Six, saving the friendship alliance several times.

We continued this for decades. Eventually, we became old. We knew that we wouldn't be able to continue like this, but luckily, we had learned a neat trick. Using our scepters, we cast some magic, making all of us look and feel young again. Whenever we grew old, we would do this so we would remain young and able to defend the alliance all the more.

However, disaster struck one day.

We were fighting a vile, snake-like madman whom was threatening the alliance. We defeated him, but before we did, he managed to cast a spell on my five friends. I was also a target, but I had looked away in time.

My five friends were now just as bent on destroying the alliance as the many enemies we defeated had been. Knowing that I would slow them down, they used their magic to try and kill me. With one blast from a scepter, I was sent out of our base of operations and was sent flying a long ways away until I came to rest in a village called 'Twilight Town'.

My former friends then used magic to warp the minds of everyone in both kingdoms, putting everyone under the influence that the Mushroom citizens and Koopas hated each other for years, maybe even decades.

After recovering in Twilight Town, I set off to attempt to snap my friends out of their hypnotized state and make everyone else realize that they were being toyed with.

However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get through to anyone, the power of the mind-control was just far too powerful.

Realizing the situation was hopeless, I donned a blue robe to disguise myself and retreated to the castle of King Koopa, who was so impressed with my magic abilities that he assigned me the job as his right hand man. Although I hated working to help bring down the mushroom leader, I had no choice. The mind control was too tight on the Koopa king and if I refused his offer, he'd kill me, leaving the world with no hope whatsoever.

Eventually, while the king was out in battle, I had to look after his son, Bowser. Earlier, the king had heard that a stork was delivering a pair of babies, and I was to steal them. Although I hated myself for doing so, I rushed the stork and grabbed one of the babies, missing the other one on purpose. The second, older, baby was sent down to the island below, where it landed on a yoshi.

I don't have to tell you what happened by now. Those babies turned out to be Mario and Luigi, and I knew that they'd be the ones to help end this senseless war between mushrooms and Koopas. I made absolute certain that Yoshi and his friends could defeat whatever I threw at them without making it look like I staged it.

A few years passed. Once Bowser had grown old enough to not need a sitter anymore, I quietly excused myself from the castle. I could never forgive myself for helping the evil side. I know that the mushroom forces were the ones to help, yet I didn't realize what I was doing until it was too late. I couldn't believe my foolishness, and was determined to make it up somehow.

A few decades passed by. I had once again used the magic to make myself younger. I didn't want to die yet, because my five hypnotized friends might still be out there, using the magic as well. I was determined to save them, and I still am.

During these many years, I was a mere drifter, going all over the kingdom to help people and heal their wounded. After leaving Koopa's castle, I switched back to my white and red robe I had worn while I was a member of the Wizards Six. This doubled as a disguise so no Koopas would recognize me and label me as a defector. People admired me for my deeds and because of my peculiar methods, labeled me as 'Psycho Kamek'. Hey, it worked. I was fine with it.

Eventually, I found a more permanent home in Lil' Fungitown, where the villagers welcomed me, even though I was the lone Koopa in the entire town.

Not terribly long after I moved in, the Mario Bros, now fully-grown adults, visited the town with the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach. At first, I was slightly scared, but then I realized that neither of them could remember me, being so young when that whole incident happened.

Only a few short minutes after the two plumbers arrived, I had heard that Mario had gotten extremely sick, and the only known antidote was located in some ruins. Only Luigi could go to fetch it, but he was scared. No, beyond scared. He was so scared that I consider it a miracle he made it to my house without collapsing in fear.

Seeing a chance to repent, I cast some magic on Luigi, making him extremely brave. This, however, made him think that he was, in fact, Mario. It worked though, and Luigi quickly found the antidote.

That pretty much wraps up my story. All that's left to tell is what's in store for me in the future.

I have still not given up hope that my friends can be saved. I have a deep feeling that each of my five friends are scattered around at different parts of the kingdom, and I am the only one that has any chance of breaking the mind control. If I can break them free, this senseless war can finally come to an end. However, I can't do that until I have perfected my skills, because I will be the one-Koopa army going into battle, and my magic needs all the leveling up it can get.

Now, I am fully aware that, no matter how many times I use the magic to make me young, I can't last forever. That is why I have decided to let the legend of the Wizards Six continue with six youngsters I have personally selected: A Mushroom boy, A Snifit, a Parakoopa, a female Goomba, a Lakitu and a Boo. Once my time nears, I will train these six to fight and use magic skills to help protect this world from all danger that may come to it.

I sigh as I stand up from my rocking chair and stretch. In my old age, I have been getting tired quickly. I slowly walk towards my bed, getting ready for yet another night of slumber, dreaming about what could happen if I fail my mission.

As long as my friends are still under mind control, the Mushroom forces and the Koopa army will remain at war. I will not rest until this war ends, or I will die in the process.

So when you think about it, the future of this kingdom depends on me.

END


End file.
